Song Picks of the Day 16.41
Bonzai was born in Indiana, raised in Dublin and now lives in London. Still, that doesn’t fully explain how she conceived a track like “I Did”. If you’re starting to get bored by the relentless parade of “New R&B” music, here is a way out. Where exactly this will lead, we will know on October 28 when she releases her EP “Luncay” on Columbia Records. Meanwhile we hope that label pays her a trip to the U.S. for SXSW.
Are not first ideas often the best anyway? Like the song title “Vs and Gs” which initially was only a demo title and a stand-in for “vocals and guitars”. With “Vs and Gs” London trio DANCEHALL deliver one incredibly infectious gem of a rock-song. Pulsating drums, pronounced guitars and edgy vocals create an urgent vibe and fuse into an overall fresh and exciting feel. The song was recorded live by Mark Jasper at Soundsavers Studios under the constraints of the band’s own 3-take rule. Lyrically, Timothy V (vocals, bass) says the song is about “the relationship (love/hate) that we have with ourselves, our patriarchs, and our shit lives”. “Vs and Gs” is easily among my top favorite tracks of 2016, yes, that superb!
“Not gonna be a jailbird anymore” sings Shells in her new song “Jailbird. And the track indeed does not evoke a prison at all: it is light as air, using many different instruments and sounds with Shells’ voice floating over it. The U.K. singer is working on her debut EP ”Shapes”, out on November 25 on 5/5.
A song that starts with “I don’t know why I said what I said // but I meant it I meant what I said, yeah” has my instant empathy and attention, wanting to know how the story continues: “Bite My Tongue” is the latest single by U.K. quartet Venus Demilo, demonstrating once more their superb songwriting skills. “Bite My Tongue” has a beautiful, upbeat flow to it, with alluring guitar hooks, stunning vocals and a laid-back vibe. Lead singer Tom Anderson provides the following about the track: “We’ve all been a little bit too honest after a few drinks and obsessed about it the next day. We like to write songs about real life situations that dig a bit deeper into what makes people tick”. Well done, mission accomplished with the stellar “Bite My Tongue”, our Song Pick of Thursday.
Our Song Pick of Friday is “Walls” by the 19 year old London singer/songwriter Elle Watson, a song about escaping the here and now in your mind. “One morning, I didn’t realise how close I was to the window, looking out into the bigger world, until I bumped my nose, and saw my breath all over it. I needed to get out of there.” she recounts. The bad news is that this never ends and yesterday’s school windows are tomorrows office (or studio) windows. The good news is that music like this dreamy electronic track can help to break through those walls in your mind.
“Does It Make You” is the mesmerizing new single by Red Love, taken from their self-titled debut album. The track starts out with intriguing guitar riffs, soon supported by stellar drum beats and distant sounding vocals, all intensifying further and further until its climax at the five minutes mark. In its intensity and layered beauty, this song reminds me of Radiohead’s “There, There”. To use a different analogy, “Does It Make You” could be compared with decorating a festive cake, with layers and layers of icing, chocolate sprinkles, little rosettes, more sprinkles, more icing until the result is one mouth-watering glorious fancy cake.
This also might not come as a surprise, given the fact that Red Love is the new band of two music veterans, comprised of Matt Tong (Bloc Party, Algiers) and Alex Newport (producer: Bloc Party, Mars Volta, Weaves, At The Drive In). All celebrity status aside, in the end it’s the music that counts and “Does It Make You” is an ultra-cool track and our Song Pick of Saturday.
Droplet is the project of Melbourne-based producer Demi Papazoglou. Her debut single is futuristic, intense electronic track that reminds of Fever Ray. It swells up and down, accompanied by a sparse beat with Demi’s layered vocals floating over it. “Powerful Mind” will be released on October 14 and a full EP is expected for early 2017.
